Sigmund Freud and The Crisis of Personality

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist whose ideas influenced not only psychology, but also disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, literature, and even art. Even though some of his ideas are considered controversial and open to debate today, they were shocking and revolutionary at his time. Among all his allegations, the most enduring, and important ones were stated on the human psyche. Freud was eminently interested in the human soul, mind and personality. Researching these terms helped him use the information he got to develop new theories. These theories, in the end, turned into therapy methods that targeted curing mental illnesses. So as to shed light on Freud’s inspiration for developing these theories, in this blog post, the following will be discussed:

1) Some terms that aided Freud in explaining human psyche and personality

• Psychoanalysis
• Freud’s iceberg theory and the three levels of mind
• Id, superego and ego

2) Freud’s thoughts on a healthy personality

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a method of treating mental disorders and it was founded by Freud himself. The method is outlined by the psychoanalytic theory which is sometimes called ‘depth psychology’. It is called ‘deep’ because the method intends to relieve the mind’s ills through a therapy that reaches unconscious mental processes.

Freud’s Iceberg Theory the Three Levels of Mind

 Freud used the analogy of an iceberg to describe the features of the mind’s structure and function. He compared his topographical model of the mind to an iceberg because, a significant portion of a person’s mind is submerged, concealed from plain sight. He divides the mind into three main levels:

• The conscious (visible portion of the iceberg)
• The preconscious (visible submerged portion of the iceberg)
• The unconscious (vast submerged portion of the iceberg)

 This theory also categorizes the information in our minds based on the depth and ease of access to the information. It is shown as ‘thoughts perceptions, memory stored knowledge and instincts fears selfish motives’ in the picture above.

The Conscious Mind: This part of the mind consists of all our momentarily rational mental processes including memories, feelings, wishes, and thoughts. For instance, you go and get a drink when you feel thirsty.

The Preconscious Mind: This portion of the mind serves as a mental waiting room for our thoughts until they “succeed in attracting the eye of the conscious” mind. In other words, these are thoughts that hold the chance to be brought into the conscious mind; just like you do not think about your home address all the time, but you easily recall it with ease when someone asks for it.

The Unconscious Mind: According to Freud’s model, the most important part of the mind is the unconscious area. It is considered “a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness”. The contents stored in the unconscious are largely inaccessible and they potentially include unpleasant or unacceptable elements such as pain and anxiety. “While we are fully aware of what is happening in the conscious mind, we have no idea what information is stored in the unconscious mind”; and our behaviours, decisions, feelings and motives are highly affected by the information that is stored in the unconscious. According to Freud, “It is irrational, emotional, and has no concept of reality, so its attempts to leak out must be inhibited”.

Id, Superego and Ego

In Freud’s structure of the human psyche, our thoughts, feelings, and wishes conflict with our instincts (id) and morality (superego) and this dilemma is inevitable for every individual. The reality (ego) is our striving to find a balance between our instincts and morality.

Id: According to Freud, the id is the only component of the personality that exists since birth. It falls into the unconscious division of the iceberg and it involves our instinctive and primitive behaviours. “The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension”.

Superego: According to Freud, this part of the personality begins to show up at around age 5. As we grow up, we start to make sense of our external world. We start to accumulate experience and knowledge. The moral standards and ideals that we internalize shape our superego. Because these standards and ideals are hard to change and we have unquestioned prejudices about what is wrong or right in our minds, the superego is illustrated in both conscious and unconscious parts of the mind. The superego aims to regulate our behaviours by perfecting and civilizing them. It restrains the id’s improper urges through conscience and ego-ideal (the rules and standards for behaviours). These include the senses of guilt and shame.

Ego: According to Freud, the ego originates from the id and it tries to find a way to adapt the id’s urges and desires to the real world in an acceptable manner. Due to its fellowship with the id, and collaboration with the superego, the ego takes part in both conscious and unconscious parts of the iceberg. “The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways”. Thus, it acts like a judge between the id and the superego.

Example Dialogue of the Id, Ego, And Superego:

Skipping a workout:

The id: I want to skip my workout because I feel lazy and just want to relax.

The superego: I shouldn’t skip the workout because it’s essential for my health and discipline.

The ego: I can do a shorter workout today and make up for it with a longer session tomorrow.

Freud’s Thoughts on Healthy Personality

Freud described a healthy personality as the balance between the id, the ego, and the superego. According to him, the reason why people experience mental difficulties results from one’s personality instability.

 In a healthy psyche, the ego is in charge of the person’s behaviours.

 In a psychotic psyche, the id is in charge and the individual may become impulsive, uncontrollable, or even criminal.

 In a neurotic psyche, the superego is in charge and the person may become extraordinarily moralistic and judgmental. Such a person might not “accept anything or anyone that they perceive to be "bad" or "immoral””.

Final Note:

Today, Sigmund Freud’s sense of psychoanalysis is quite far from how psychologists see the modern methodology and usage of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. “There’s no proof of the id, ego, or superego, and their respective aspects of control over the human psyche”.

Resources (MLA):

AWeith. “Iceberg in the Arctic with its underside exposed.” Wikipedia, 30 July 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iceberg_in_the_Arctic_with_its_underside_exposed.jpg. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “psychoanalysis.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/science/psychoanalysis. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Cherry, Kendra. “Id, Ego, and Superego: Freud's Elements of Personality.” Verywellmind, 5 Mar. 2024, https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951#toc-what-happens-if-there-is-an-imbalance. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Cherry, Kendra. “The Unconcious Mind, Preconscious Mind and Conscious Mind.” Verywellmind, 27 Feb. 2024, https://www.verywellmind.com/the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Jay, Martin Evan. “Sigmund Freud.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sigmund-Freud. Accessed 23 March 2024.

LandonDerekNorrisArt. “Kronk with Shoulder Angel & Devil (original drawing).” Etsy, Landon, https://www.etsy.com/listing/832903097/kronk-with-shoulder-angel-devil-original. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Mcleod, Saul. “Freud’s Theory Of The Unconscious Mind.” SimplyPsychology, 25 Jan. 2024, https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Mcleod, Saul. “Freud’s Theory Of Personality: Id, Ego, And Superego.” SimplyPsychology, 25 Jan. 2024, https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html. Accessed 23 March 2024.

Stewart, David. “Are Freud and Psychoanalysis Still Relevant?.” Alliant International University, 15 Nov. 2018, https://www.alliant.edu/blog/are-freud-and-psychoanalysis-still-relevant. Accessed 23 March 2024.